Rail-joint.



PATENTED APR. 11, 905.

J. T. QUALK. RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30, 1004.

Patented April 11, 1905.

UNTTED STATES PATENT @FFICEQ JORDAN T. QUALK, OF DUQUESNE, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,220, dated April11, 1905.

Application filed August 30, 1904. Serial No. 222,696-

To ul/ lr/mnt if Hm COIL/3077b.

Be it known that I, Joann T. QUALK, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at llu uesne, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRail-Joints, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements inrail-joints, and has for its object the provision ofnovel means forholding two sections of rails in engagement with each other, whereby itwill be impossible for the same to become displaced after they have oncebeen secured together.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel form offish-plate which is placed in engagement with the confronting ends oftwo rail-sections and secured to the ties supporting said rails, and Ihave provided a novel way of securing the ordinary spikes in engagementwith said fish plates and rails, whereby the sections of rails will befirmly held upon the ties.

Briefly described, my invention comprises two fish-plates which areadapted to be placed upon the confronting ends of two rails, saidfish-plates being formed with reinforcing portions and are adapted to bebent inwardly under the base of the rails to support the same. l haveprovided the fish-plates with apertures and the base portions of eachrail with apertures correspomling to the apertures of the fish-plates,and in said apertures the ordinary and well-known type of spike isadapted to be placed to iirmly hold the rails in engagement with theroad-bed.

The above construction will be hereinafter more fully described indetail and then specifically pointed out in the claim.

teferring to the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my improvedrail-joint. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is adetail perspective view of one end of a rail constructed in accordancewith my invention, and Fig. l is a detail perspective view of one of thefish-plates.

Throughout the several views of the drawings accompanying thisapplication like reference characters designate corresponding parts, andthe reference characters A and B designate confronting ends of tworail-sections which are to be joined together, and these rails aresupported upon ties (l. The fish-plates land 2, which I employ toconnect said rails together, are made of a suitable material and are soformed that they may be rolled, and in forming said fish-plates Iprovide the web portions3 3 thereof of a heavier nature than theremainder of the fishplates, these web portions 3 3 formingreinfol-cements which are adapted to support the web portion i of therails and the underneath surface 5 of the treads of said rails. Thefishplates are so formed that they will engage the top of the base 6 ofthe rail, as indicated at T, and the edges of said tislrplates are bentunder the base of the rail, as indicated at 8 8, this bent-under portionextending within a short distance of the center of the base of saidrail. The portion 7 of the fish-plate and the bent-under portion 8 areprovided with a plurality of apertures 9 and 10, said apertures beingformed in vertical alinement with each other, whereby the spike 11 maybe placed therein, and I have provided the sides of the base of the railwith apertures 12 to permit of the securing of the spikes within theties U.

By the above construction it will be seen that when the fish-plates havebeen placed in engagement with the rails A and B it will be impossibleafter the spikes have been driven through the apertures 9, i2, and 10for the rails to become separated. By passing the spikes through theportion 7 of the fish-plate, the base of the rails, and bent portion 8of the fish-plates it will be impossible for the rails to moveindependently of the lish-plates, and by the provision of reinforcements of the web portion of the rail the treads thereof will besupported and any lateral movement independently of the base of saidrails prevented.

By the novel form of my improved lishplates it will be possible tosupport the joint of the rails between the ties (J, owing to the factthat the bent-under portion 8 of the fishplates will form a support forthe base 6 of each rail intermediate the ties, and the ends of saidrails will be prevented from moving upon the fish-plates or the ties bythe ends of said spikes engaging in the ties O.

Vhile I have herein shown the preferred manner of constructing thefish-plates and the preferred number of openings through which thespikes are placed, I do not care to limit myself to this specific numbernor the exact construction and form of fish-plate shown, but may varythe same as Will be permissible by the appended claim.

Having fully described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

The combination with a railway-rail, of tWo fish-plates, saidfish-plates being of the same form, the fish-plates being adapted toclosely embrace the Web of the rail, and being imperforate at thatportion adjacent the Web of the rail, said fish-plates extending overand being bent under the bases of the rails, that portion of eachfish-plate beneath the rails being of the same thickness and theadjacent edges thereof being spaced apart and being formed Withapertures coinciding With apertures in the bases of the rails to receivespikes, the Web portion of the fish-plates adjacent the rails beingformed of gradually-increasing thickness from a point opposite thejuncture of the Web and base of the rail, and from a point adjacent thehead of the rail to the mid die of the fish-plate and formingreinforcements adapted to support the Web portions of the rails.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

JORDAN T. QUALK.

WVitnesses:

H. C. EVERT, P. A. KILLGALLON.

